1. Field of Invention
The present invention pertains to the field of electronic control module mounting systems designed to protect electronic controls mounted within a control module of a vehicle when the vehicle is in a collision, particularly when the vehicle is subjected to a side impact.
2. Background of the Invention
Various electronic control systems are used in automotive vehicles. The control systems may relate to all aspects of vehicle control. Transmission control systems, for example, have numerous sensors that are connected by wires to one or more control modules. The transmission control modules are also connected to actuators within the transmission so that the control modules are able to control the transmission based on various sensed parameters obtained from the sensors. The sensed parameters relevant to transmission control typically include driver demand from a throttle sensor, engine speed through an engine speed sensor, etc. The transmission control modules then cause the transmission to shift between various speed ratios as the vehicle is driven. Other control modules include a fuel control module and an engine control module for regulating a fuel pump and an engine respectively. Typically, the different types of control modules will communicate with each other. For example, the transmission control module preferably signals the engine control module to reduce power during certain speed ratio shifts and the engine control module signals the fuel control module to provide more or less fuel based on the needs of the engine.
Yet another type of control module is a restraint crash control module, which is involved with controlling activation of seat belts and airbags during a crash. The restrain crash module receives information from sensors and determined if the vehicle is in a collision. An event data recorder, often referred to as a “black box”, is another type of control module. This module records data during a collision and preserves the data for later retrieval. The functions of the event data recorder may be performed by a stand-alone control module or incorporated into another control module, such as the restrain crash module.
While the different types of control modules serve different and sometimes overlapping functions, each module is usually provided with a housing that is mounted to a structural member of the motor vehicle. Within the housing each module preferably has one or more printed circuit boards supporting electronic components that preform the tasks required of the control module. Additionally, control module housings are provided with connectors for wiring that provide communication to sensors, actuators and other control modules. In the past, control modules did not have to function after a collision. Throughout a collision event, control of restraint systems, such as airbag deployment or seatbelt control, is important for the safety of passengers. However, the systems did not need to function after the collision.
Government regulations now require vehicle crash data to be recorded during the collision and retrievable at a later time after the collision. Additional regulatory requirements specify that the control system for the vehicle call emergency responders by, for example, calling 911, both to request assistance and transmit data to emergency responders regarding details of the collision until the control system receives confirmation that the request has been received. Also, the control system must cut the fuel supply when a collision is sensed. Furthermore, the control module performing these functions must still be able to function after severe side impacts. A standard test for such side impacts is described in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 214, “Side Impact Protection” (promulgated by the United States Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and hereinafter referred to as FMVSS 214). FMVSS 214 describes the details of severe side impacts used to test vehicles including details of a 20 mile per hour side impact into a pole.
Such severe side impacts will usually destroy the functionality of existing control modules. Even when modules are mounted in relatively protected areas of the vehicle, the modules are often destroyed. A conventionally mounted control module placed on the center tunnel of a vehicle between the front seats will survive long enough to control deployment of restraint devices but still will not meet the new government regulatory requirements. As the tunnel or other mounting surface deforms, the housing of the control module also deforms, thus damaging the circuit boards and other electronic components of the module and rendering the module inoperable, thereby being incapable of meeting the new government requirements.
As can be seen by the above discussion, there exists a need for a mounting system allowing for an electronic control module to survive a severe vehicle side impact collision and still be able to record data that can be retrieved later, send a distress signal until the control module receives confirmation that the signal has been received, and send a signal to the fuel control module to cut off the fuel supply.